‘If martial law looms, I’ll keep quiet about it’

CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines – President Duterte sees no compelling reason to declare martial law at this time, but if he decides to do it, he would do so quietly.  

“I will not declare martial law. Kung magde-declare ako ng martial law, di ako mag-iingay. Pag may magtanong anong basis, t*** i** ka wala kang pakilalam basta tumahimik kayong lahat (If I will declare martial law, I won’t create noise. If someone asks what is the basis, son of a b****, I don’t care. Just keep quiet),” Duterte said yesterday during the 20th anniversary of the Premiere Medical Center here.

“It is not found in the Constitution. It is not written there. But if I feel, as a President, that I have to preserve the country, I will declare martial law,” he added.

Last Saturday, Duterte said he would declare martial law if the drug problem becomes “very virulent,” raising public concerns that he might be setting the stage for a dictatorship.

Malacañang had clarified that the President has been against martial rule and accused the media of misreporting his statement and sowing panic among the people.

While saying that he is not inclined to declare martial law, Duterte cited threats in Mindanao that he claimed the media missed when he made his point. These include the threat posed by the terrorist group Islamic State (IS), which he said has “contaminated” Mindanao.

“The military was right that there is no compelling reason but I will just fill you in in the days to come. IS coming in very fast and Mindanao is a pure case of rising nationalism,” he said.

“Yun ang delikado. Hindi pa dadating iyon (That is dangerous. It’s not yet in the offing). The media were not listening. They only heard martial law. I am not stupid. We are brighter than them,” Duterte added.

Duterte said he would not use his “God-given” task for “flimsy” reasons and to perpetuate himself in power.

“I will tell you now, please listen very carefully, am I exceedingly happy or I am glad that I am the President? I can give you the answer, truthfully, in my mouth, I do not need it at the time of my life,” he said.

While he claimed to be no fan of martial law, the President has repeatedly brought up the topic in his previous speeches.

Last August, Duterte scored Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno for meddling with his crackdown on illegal drugs and threatened to declare martial law if she continues to interfere in the campaign.

Two months later, Duterte disclosed that there were times that he was tempted to place the country under martial law due to security problems facing the country.

Last month, Duterte criticized the constitutional provisions on martial law that require the declaration to be reviewed by Congress and the Supreme Court.

Duterte said the president may decide on his own if the findings of Congress and the Supreme Court about the martial law declaration contradict each other.

Duterte reiterated the point during yesterday’s speech, saying the requirement could encourage him to become a “despot.”

“Any citizen of this country can question the legal basis for declaring martial law,” he said.  

“If the SC says it has no basis but Congress says go ahead because national security is at stake, the two would clash. Now who decides? It will be me,” Duterte added.

‘Narco pols’ warned anew

Meanwhile, the President warned anew politicians on his narco list that they would eventually end up in “ashes” to enrich the memorial parks in Nueva Ecija.

Frustrated over the magnitude of the drug problem, Duterte said it would be a matter of time before the drug lords and operators are made accountable for their sins.

“Kaya ito, that’s 6,000 drug personalities spread all throughout the country, including here in Nueva Ecija,” he said.

Last week, Duterte said he would not hesitate to kill narco mayors on his list.

The President reiterated that he could not solve the drug problem alone. 

He said he sought the help of Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on how to deal with the problem.

Duterte said barangay and police officials were also linked to drug operations in the country.

He admitted that he would run out of bullets to execute the drug suspects even if Congress would empower him to kill all the drug personalities. – With Christina Mendez